French Graphics of the 1920s–1930s: Theoretical Foundations and Practice
Elshad V. Aliyev, Victoria S. Kenstavichus
Abstract. The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of French printed graphics from the 1920s–1930s as a socio-cultural phenomenon of the era. The work examines the theoretical foundations of graphic art in the context of profound socio-political transformations caused by industrialisation, economic crises and the ideological polarisation of society.
The focus is on analysing graphics as an “open structure”, whose form, content and meaning were transformed under the influence of industrialisation, economic crises and ideological polarisation. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the interdisciplinary synthesis of graphics as a unified semantic field that integrates political propaganda, Art Deco aesthetics and avant-garde practices.
The author systematises the factors driving the development of the school — from the integration of the creative heritage of the Russian emigration to the impact of the philosophical concepts of the era. The research methodology is built on a synthesis of classical and modern approaches: source studies and comparative analysis, formal stylistic and iconological methods are complemented by tools of hermeneutics, semiotics and socio-cultural analysis.
The research findings prove that French graphics of the 1920s–1930s reflected historical turning points, shaped the visual codes of society, mirrored the deep societal crisis and, later, the looming threat from Germany, as well as conveyed ideological attitudes in the context of the confrontation between left-wing and right-wing forces.
The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that its results can be useful for examining historical mechanisms of influencing society through images, thus providing an understanding of contemporary strategies of visual impact.
Keywords: printed graphics, France, visual communication, Popular Front (Front Populaire), Art Deco, Surrealism, ideology, semiotics of art, artistic emigration.
Aliyev E. V.: Doctor of Art Studies, Associate Professor, Leading Researcher, Institute of Architecture and Art, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baku, Azerbaijan, e-mail: aliyev.science@gmail.com
Kenstavichus V. S.: PhD student, Ilya Glazunov Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: bogdanova_victoriya@mail.ru
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For citations:
Aliyev E. V., Kenstavichus V. S. French Graphics of the 1920s–1930s: Theoretical Foundations and Practice. Arts in Cultural Dialogue, 2026, 1(2), 77–94. https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.67019/3033-8298.2026.2.2.003